Press Release
Zanzibar Needs Radical Change to Combat Immorality

Following a measure of the Zanzibar Arts, Census, Film, and Cultural Council (BASSFU) effectively from 5 March 2024 of suspending Zuchu, a bongo singer, for six months from performing in Zanzibar after her immoral performance at the Full Moon Kendwa Night show, north of Zanzibar, on February 24, 2024, we in Hizb ut Tahrir / Tanzania would like to explain the followings:

While the Council’s sanction of Zuchu is appreciated, yet it is a cosmetic and smoke screening measure considering two aspects:

Firstly, Zuchu’s six-month suspension, with a trivial fine of Tsh.1 million ($375) plus being required to submit a written apology is quite a negligible penalty tocompensate grave immorality being perpetuated in her performance.

Secondly, the performance of the music termed as ‘bongo flavor’ is immorality by nature in all its aspects, whether from Zuchu or anyone else, and obviously does not go in line with customs, traditions, norms and culture of Zanzibar where approximately all of its residents are Muslim. So, the issue in hand was not to temporarily ban the performance, but to permanently prohibit it.

We would also like to remind and warn the Council which has ‘a responsibility of upholding the customs, traditions, and culture of Zanzibar’ which of course is Islam, and other institutions in Zanzibar dealing with the same: that Zanzibar once a beacon of civilization and morality has become a den of all types of immoralities being promoted by the government and its institutions in the name of personal freedom, investments and enhancing of tourist industry. Consequently, Zanzibar has deepened into an abyss of all sort of vices, immorality and mischiefs such as homosexuality, adultery, lesbianism, sexual violence, alcoholism, drug abuses and etc., while government institutions either are complicit or bewildered doing nothing waiting for further destruction of our generations.

In fact, Zanzibar under capitalist ideology cannot and would not sincerely combat immorality, since the capitalist core foundation is built upon immorality. This can only be achieved through a radical change of Islam under its shade of a Khilafah (Caliphate) State that has to be re-established in the Muslim world, via it all vices and immorality will be radically eradicated for the best welfare of Muslims and humankind.

Masoud Msellem
Media Representative of Hizb ut Tahrir
in Tanzania